US House chaplain marks Jan. 6 with Democratic leadership, prays against 'enemies within'

Margaret Grun Kibben ordained in PCUSA

By Jon Brown, Christian Post Reporter
Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., House Chaplain Margaret Grun Kibben, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., pray at the start of a January 6 commemoration press conference at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., House Chaplain Margaret Grun Kibben, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., pray at the start of a January 6 commemoration press conference at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2025, in Washington, D.C. | Jon Cherry/Getty Images

The chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives gathered with congressional Democratic leadership Monday to mark the fourth anniversary of the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, with a moment of silence and a prayer that included a mention of "enemies within."

Margaret Grun Kibben, an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA), stood in front of the press with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., in a hallway where protesters first entered the Capitol four years ago. Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., also joined the group.

“Gracious and almighty God, this day means so much to so many people,” Kibben prayed. "What was intended to be a historical parliamentary procedure turned quickly into turmoil, the frustration, anger and fear. We pray now that, on this day four years later, that you would enter into the space in a much different way, in a way that allows for peace and for conversation and for reconciliation."

Kibben went on to pray that God "would in some way transform our memories; that the blessing that we would have would be to be the reminder of the calling to which you have called us: to serve you carefully and faithfully."

She also invoked God's help "to deal with all that comes across the threshold: enemies within, enemies from without our own country," without elaborating on who she was talking about.

"We pray then that we would serve you now ever more carefully, even more specifically intending to preserve all that you have given us, this experience that is so precarious; that in this, we would be the strength, the foundation to our future,“ Kibben continued.

"May these memories only strengthen our fortitude to serve you then, for now and always. It's in the strength of your name we pray, Amen," she added.

Kibben, who became the first woman to serve as House chaplain when former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., appointed her in 2021, received her Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees from Princeton University. She had previously served as the U.S. Navy's 26th chief of chaplains and the 18th chaplain of the U.S. Marine Corps.

Kibben was present in the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and claimed the situation reminded her of combat, according to The Oneida Daily Dispatch.

After Kibben's prayer, Schumer took the opportunity to condemn those who "want to sweep [Jan. 6] under the rug, who want to change the story," and praised his Democratic colleagues for not being "election deniers."

“We also hope that we serve as an example to our Republican colleagues,” Schumer said. "We are not election deniers. We lost the election, we regret it, but we believe in the strength of our democracy, and that when you lose an election, you roll up your sleeves and try to win the next one."

"You don't deny that you lost it and encourage people to do bad, bad things because you did not want to admit that they had lost the election, even though the facts were overwhelming," Schumer added in an apparent reference to President-elect Donald Trump, who continues to maintain that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him.

The popular X account Libs of TikTok posted a clip of Schumer's "election denier" remarks along with a 24-minute video compilation of prominent Democrats denying the legitimacy of Republican electoral victories for the past 25 years. Monday's congressional certification of Trump's victory marked the first time since 1988 that a congressional Democrat did not object to the electoral vote count favoring a Republican president.

Jon Brown is a reporter for The Christian Post. Send news tips to jon.brown@christianpost.com

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